Internal combustion engine



Dec. 29, 1931. A. H. KING ET AL 1,838,409

INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Original Filed June 5. 1928 Patented Dec. 29, 1931 ALEXANDER H. KING AND EARLE A RYDER, OF 'WEST HARTFORD, CORNEGTIGUT, AS:

srelvons TO THE PRATT a w-rrrrnnv Nnorrour PATENT OFFICE 'AIRGRAFT COMPANY, OF HARTEORD,

1 IN ERN-n1. comnusrron ENGINE Original application filed June 5,1928, Serial No. 283,081! Divided anq'tlns application filed August 31,

1929 Serial This invention relates in general to, internal combustion engines and is more particu-. larly concerned with thermostatic controls. governing the operation of the same'between certain ranges of combustion cylinder temperatures. This invention is a division from our orginal application, Serial Number 28.8,- 081, filed June 5,1928, and is, especially. directed to the thermostatic devices asapplicable to spark adjustment control, throttle. control, and mixture control. 7

Internal combustion engines have a tendency to overheat under conditions of excess, load, incorrect carburetion due. tothe use of low grade fuels or improper adjustment of fuel proportions, incorrect spark timing and; other adverse. conditions. Such conditions frequently cause, detonation, which in turn causes further overheating, poor lubrication,

: I loss in horsepower output and the 'final seiz ing of the pistons within their cylinders and they destruction of the engine.

It is well recognized thatv failure of an en; gine due to overheating is, due toexcessive.

; temperature of the cylinder heador cylinder walls, and this excessive temperature may be;

caused: either by high; combustion temperature, defi ciency of the cooling system, or a condition such as detonation, which causes a disproportionate part of the heat of comhus, tion to be transferred to, the cylinder, walls. The prior art contains efforts to. regulate engine temperaturesby control; of; thecooling means, as, for example, thermostatic control of the cooling water circulation, Such means are efiectiveto. maintain a certainjminimum temperature which may be desirable for op; eration, but areypowerless tolimit the maximum temperature. of the combustion chamber or cylinder Whenever the conditions. at operation cause the evolution and transfer to the cylinderwalls of more. heat thanthecool- 7 ing system is capable. of absorbing,

In order to removethe. danger which might otherwise. arise from excess. loads, poor, fuel select-ion, improper spark timing, deficiency of the coolingsystem or other caus'esot over heating, it is the purpose of thisinvention to provide a means, governed by cylinder ten perature, for controlling the, amount .ofhea't tions of the movements of these controls. It

is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a thermostatic means for automatically controlling the movement, within certain limits, of any or all of these three controls. V

It is the prime object of this invention'to. provide a thermostat in thermal co munication with a multicylindered engine, and elec? trical means for translating; the movements oi the thermostat into positive actuation of the engineoperating controls in the manner required to reduce effective combustion pressure. r

' It is a further object of this invention to so adapt this electrical meansthlat it shall be lneffective on said controls at normal running temperatures but will become increasingly ef fective as the average temperature of the cylinders of said engine rises above a pre. determined point. 7 v

Other objects of this invention, will appear in, the accompanying specification and claims and will be disclosed in the accompanying drawin in which. v'Ihe' gure is an end elevation of a multicylindered internal combustion engine of the water-cooled type withour device attached and shown diagrammatically.

Referring now to the drawing it will be s n tha e have p d d a ther osta Y 1. preferably, though not necessarily, comprised of two metals of diifierentcoeflicients or ex ension. The thermostat is mounted in thermal communication, with the water jacket of the engineanldi in this caseis shown s having one or its d fixedly se ur d. to a cylinder of the engine. The free end of theIthermostat has an electrical CQ ll' f Ct member secured thereto, a rlieostat 3'5 ,having a plurality of contacts 354;, is fixed to but tactsjform the terminals of an electrical cir- .cuit which includes the leads 36, a source of electrical energy, illustrated as a battery at 37, and a solenoid 38.

As disclosed the solenoid armature 38a is illustrated as mechanically connected to an engine control rod 39 which may be for the throttle control, the spark control,the mixture control, or any combination of the three. Intermediate of its ends the rod 39 is provided with a concentrically mounted compression spring 40. This spring lies between a loose guide 41, fixed to the engine and a set collar 42, adjustably fixed to the rod. Upward movement of the solenoid armature will result in a compression of this spring, the degree of compression being governable by the position of the collar 42 along the rod 39.

If it is desired, a relay may be substituted for the solenoid and the relay be used for controlling the operation of any additional power means for operating either of the three engine controls hereinabove specified.

From the foregoing the operation of my device will be understood to be as follows:

When the engine temperature increases the thermostat will move in a direction toward the rheostat 35, contacting with the first contact disk thereon when the temperature of the engine reaches the minimum excessive temperature. The circuit then being closed the solenoid will operate to draw its arma* ture toward it against the action of the spring 40, thus actuating the engine control. As the temperature increases the contact 34 will contact with the second contact disk and a greater current sent through the circuit, resulting in magnifying the attraction of the solenoid and the action on the engine control.

The drawing in this case has been described as an end elevation of a multicylindered engine of the water-cooled type. The thermostat will, therefore, be actuated by the average temperature of all of its cylinders and but a single thermostat will be necessary.

Having thus described our invention what we claim is 1. In combination, with an internal combustion engine having an engine operating control, a thermostat mounted in thermal communication with said engine, and electrically operated means operatively connecting said thermostat and said engine control to actuate the latter when the engine temperature reaches a predetermined degree, and resiliently yieldable means opposing the action of said electrically operated means, said eiectrical means being formed to exercise an in- 'creasingly greater degree of force upon said engine controls as the temperature increases above a predetermined degree.

2. In combination, with an internal combustion engine having an engine operating control, a thermostat mounted in thermal communication with said engine, and electrically operated means operatively connecting said thermostat and said engine control to actuate the latter when the engine temperature reaches a predetermined degree, said means being adapted to permit of normal temperature increases without affecting said control, and resiliently yieldable means opposing the action of said electrically operated means, said electrical means being formed to exercise an increasingly greater degree of force upon said engine controls the ten'iperature increases above a predetermined degree.

3. In combination, with an internal combustion engine having an engine operating control, a thermostat mounted in thermal communication with said engine, and electrically operated means operatively connecting said thermostat and said engine control to actuate the latter when the engine temperature reaches a predetermined degree, and resiliently yieldable means opposing the action of said electrically operated means, said electrical means being formed to exercise an increasingly greater degree of force upon said engine controls as the temperature increases above a predetermined degree, and means for adjusting said resilient means to vary the degree of its opposition to said electrical means.

4:. In combination, with an internal combustion engine having an engine operating control, a thermostat mounted in thermal communication with said engine, and electrically operated means operatively connecting said thermostat and said engine control to actuate the latter when the engine temperature reaches a predetermined degree, said means being adapted to permit of normal temperature increases without affecting said control, and resiliently yieldable means opposing the action of said electrically operated means, said electrical means being formed to exercise an increasingly greater degree of force upon said engine controls as the temperature increases above a predetermined degree, and means for adjusting said resilient means to vary the degree of its opposition to said electrical means.

5. In combination, with a multi-cylindered internal combustion engine having an engine operating control, a thermostat mounted in thermal communication with said engine, and electrically operated means operatively connecting said thermostat and said engine control to actuate the latter when the engine temperature reaches a predetermined degree, said means being adapted to permit of normal temperature increases without affecting said control, and resiliently yieldable means opposing the action of said electrically operated means, said electrical means being formed to exercise an increasingly greater degree of force upon said englne controls as the temperature increases above a'predeter- V mined degree, said thermostat being actuated by the average temperature of all of the cylinders of said engine.

6. In combination, with a multicylindered internal combustion engine having an engine operating control, a thermostat mounted in thermal communication with said engine, and electrically operated means operatively connecting said thermostat and said engine control to actuate the latter when the engine temperature reaches a predetermined degree, said means being adapted to permit of normal temperature increases without affectingsaid control, and resiliently yieldable means opposing the action of said electrically operated means, said electrical means being formed to exercise an increasingly greater degree of force upon said engine controls as the temperature increases above a predetermined degree,and means for ad]ust1ng sald resilient means to vary the degree of its opposition to said electrical means, said thermostat being actuated by the average tempera ture of all of the cylinders of said engine.

In testimony whereof we have aflixed our signatures.

,EARLE A..RYDER. ALEXANDER H. KING. 

